Fire lighters



D. s. ROBERTS 3,034,872

FIRE LIGHTERS Filed June 5, 1959 I T/4i h ited States This invention relates to improvements in fire lighting devices for initiating the combustion of slow-burning fuel such as charcoal, briquettes or the like, commonly used in grills for the cooking of food. It is an object of the invention to supply a fire lighting or kindling device which can be made easily and sold at a low price, and which is rapid in operation and easy to handle. A kindling device for similar purposes is described and illustrated in my copending application Serial No. 715,066, filed February 13, 1958, now abandoned.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawing, of which- FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a multi-unit fire lighter embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a bridge or shield to support lumps of fuel over the device when the latter is in use;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a complete fire lighter ready for use; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the fire lighter and shield in use.

A multiple-unit cylindrical block 10 is shown in FIG- URE 1. This block may be made by filling a tube 12 of absorbent paper, such as an ordinary mailing tube, with a molten wax mixture. After the wax 14 has congealed, cuts 16 are made in the block by thin knife blades, these cuts being annular in uniformly spaced, parallel planes. The cuts extend around the entire circumference of the tube and penetrate deeply into the wax 14, leaving a neck 18-of wax connecting the individual cakes or units 20 of the block. A rough vertical saw-cut 22 is made through the Wall of the tube 12, this cut penetrating little if any into the wax 14. For this cut a saw with large teeth is preferably used so as to make a kerf or sawcut 22. with ragged edges 24.

The wax 14 employed is preferably a mineral wax or a blend of mineral waxes capable of burning without giving off fumes which would adversely affect the flavor or quality of food. Other qualities are desirable such as a consistency which will result in a clean break at a neck 18 when a single cake or unit is broken off from the block, and a melting point sufficiently high to avoid fusing if exposed to hot sunlight or other high atmospheric temperatures. A blend of equal parts of a paraffin wax and a micro-crystalline wax has been found to be suitable for the purpose.

When a fire of charcoal or briquettes is to be lighted, a single unit 20 is twisted or otherwise broken from the re mainder of the block 10 and is placed in a metal cup 30 which has a flat bottom and cylindrical side walls, the latter being lined by a wick 32 of non-flammable material such as spun glass or asbestos. The diameter of the unit 20 is considerably less than that of the cup 30, so that when a unit 20 is placed in the cup as indicated in FIGURE 5, there is ample. clearance between the unit and the wick 32. The unit may then be lighted by holding a match to the ragged edges 24 of the kerf 22. These rough edges readily catch fire and start melting the wax contiguous thereto. The kerf provides a ready outlet for melted wax to flow through to the bottom of the cup and then by capillarity up the non-flammable wick. In a short time the flame works around the paper wick 12 and the non-flammable wick 32 so that the pool of melted wax between the wicks is subjected to heat from both flames, thus promoting vaporization of the melted wax with a consequent increase in the flames produced. This shortens the time required to ignite the charcoal or other solid fuel used in the grill.

The fire lighter may be used under the grate of a firebox, the flames coming up through the grate, or it may be placed within the fire-box itself, in which case a shield 40 is preferably placed over it. The shield may be of any convenient form. As shown in FIGURE 4, it consists of a strip of stiff perforated metal bent to form an inverted U under which the fire lighter is placed. Solid fuel F is then heaped over the shield which prevents the fuel from interfering with the functioning of the fire lighter but supports the fuel near enough to be ignited by the flames from the fire lighter.

The metal cup 30 with its wick 32 can be used repeatedly with successive lighter units 24). The multipleunit blocks 10 are easily and cheaply made, and single units can be conveniently twisted from the blocks. The entire equipment occupies little space when packed for shipment or when put away for future use. For example, the blocks 10 may be three inches long, each block being cut to form six single units of one-half inch length and a diameter of 1%.". The cuts 16 penetrate to a depth of leaving necks 18 having a diameter of /2. The cup 30 has a diameter of 2" and a height of The perforated shield has a length of 3", a width of 2 /4" and a height of 1%" and is made of stamped sheet metal. These dimensions are by way of illustration only and not limitation, these sizes having been found to be convenient and eflective for use in grills such as are commonly used for out-door cooking.

I claim:

1. A fire lighter comprising a metal cup with cylindrical side walls, a non-flammable wick lining said Walls, a cylindrical cake of liquefiable flammable material having a height approximately equal to that of the cup and a diameter substantially less than the interior diameter of said wick, whereby said cake is spaced substantially inward from said wick, a jacket of absorbent flammable material on the side walls of said cake, said jacket having a vertical kerf therein with rough edges, and a rigid shield of perforated metal bridging said cup.

2. A fire lighter comprising a metal cup with cylindrical side walls, a non-flammable Wick lining said walls, and a kindling unit loosely resting in the cup, said kindling unit comprising a cylindrical cake of flammable Wax-like material with an absorbent paper jacket on the side walls thereof, said unit having a height approximately equal to that of the cup, and a diameter substantially less than the interior diameter of said wick, whereby said cake is spaced substantially inward from said wick, said jacket having a vertical kerf therethrough with rough edges.

3. A multiple-unit article for lighting fires, comprising a cylindrical body of wax-like flammable material, and a jacket of absorbent flammable material covering the side walls of said body, said jacket and body having spaced parallel annular cuts defining a series of short cylindrical 3 cakes connected by central necks of wax-like material, 1,959,473 said jacket having a vertical kerf therethrough with rough 1,960,288 side edges. 2,622,017 2,671,330 References Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 417,588 Richardson Dec. 17, 1889 748,312 Sachse Dec. 29, 1903 Heron Apr. 20, 1933 Sherman July 10, 1933 Bramhall et a1. Dec. 16, 1952 Ajello Mar. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 15, 1940 Switzerland Aug. 14, 1901 aha- .1- 

2. A FIRE LIGHTER COMPRISING A METAL CUP WITH CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALLS, A NON-FLAMMABLE WICK LINING SAID WALLS, AND A KINDLING UNIT LOOSELY RESTING IN THE CUP, SAID KINDLING UNIT COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL CAKE OF FLAMMABLE WAX-LIKE MATERIAL WITH AN ABSORBENT PAPER JACKET ON THE SIDE WALLS THEREOF, SAID UNIT HAVING A HEIGHT APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THAT OF THE CUP, AND A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE INTERIOR DIAMETER OF SAID WICK, WHEREBY SAID CAKE IS SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY INWARD FROM SAID WICK, SAID JACKET HAVING A VERTICLA DKERF THERETHROUGH WITH ROUGH EDGES. 